Queensland names new government CIO

Update: Open data and info sharing experience led to hire.

South Australian government CIO Andrew Mills will move north to Queensland to take up the top IT role for the state government.

MIlls will begin his role on 6 January 2014, the Department of Science, IT, Innovation and the Arts (DSITIA) confirmed.

Mills has been South Australia's CIO since 2007. He joined the state’s public service in 1998 after a term of service in the Australian Defence Force.

He has recently laid the finishing touches onto South Australia’s refreshed ICT strategy, which is due to be launched by Premier Jay Weatherill later this month after a long gestation.

"His experience improving management of information and data through the implementation of an open data approach in South Australia as well as his experience leading initiatives to improve frontline delivery of services will be essential to the success of the ICT Strategy 2013-2017," DSITIA director-general Andrew Garner said in a statement.

“Sharing government information through open data with business and industry is a key area of focus to support industry and small to medium enterprises in the delivery of IT solutions for Queensland, as is our drive to use ICT to put the customer first and deliver efficiencies through ICT as a service."

As South Australia’s IT chief Mills oversaw the technology supporting a workforce of approximately 85,000 full-time equivalent staff. The move to Queensland will see him graduate to technology oversight for a workforce of more than 192,000 at last count.

Queensland has been looking for a new government CIO since Peter Grant was moved on from the role under still unexplained circumstances in May.

Then-chief of the Department of Science, IT, Innovation and the Arts Andrew Garner subsequently filled the role for six months.

Mills will be handsomely rewarded for his service with a salary of nearly $400,000 a year, close to the package taken home each year by Premier Campbell Newman.

According to the public advertisement for the role he will be expected to “successfully deliver on all objectives contained in the Queensland Government ICT Strategy 2103-17” including the “ongoing development and implementation of contemporary ICT policy to ensure best use of digital and other technologies."

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